The document indicates that the German chancellor has been included in the so-called Target Knowledge Database (TKB), which includes â€œcomplete profilesâ€ of the individuals under surveillance.

The automated name recognition system, Nymrod, which deals with transcripts of intercepted fax, voice and computer-to-computer communications, has provided around 300 citations for Merkel alone, Der Spiegel wrote.

The authors of the NSA presentation especially stressed the effectiveness of the automated capture, with manual maintenance of high-ranking targets database being â€œa slow and painstaking processâ€.

Der Spiegel were also shown a weekly report from the Special Sources Operations (SSO) division, which proves that the NSA had received a court order to spy on Merkel.

According to the paper, FISA, the special court responsible for intelligence agency requests, provided the NSA with authorization to monitor â€œGermanyâ€ on March 7, 2013.

The new Snowden leaks are significant for Germany as they prove that Chancellor Merkel was an official target for surveillance by the US.

The office of German Federal Public Prosecutor, Harald Range, still hasnâ€™t made up its mind over suing the National Security Agency.

The allegations that the NSA monitored Merkelâ€™s mobile phone and conducted mass surveillance on the communications of millions of Germans are currently under review by the prosecutors